Experiments in Frugality

So this post is a bit out of my usual pattern of topics, but this issue has become such a huge part of our lives right now that to neglect it on my blog feels almost dishonest.

Andrew and I have zero debt.  Except school loans.  Make that school loan.  Singular.  We have incredibly frugal and wise parents who have counseled us well.  We've bought nothing on credit.  And we've always kept to somewhat of a semblance of a budget.

And then there was med school.

That one, lone, single "investment" into Andrew's career was the equivalent of paying for a nice, full-sized home in cash.  We prayed when Andrew started med school that God would either supernaturally pay for it up front, at the end, or somehow provide the means for us to pay the inevitable school loans back in a timely manner--any of those options definitely equating to the miraculous in our minds.

Obviously, He didn't choose the up-front option--our preference, of course, but apparently not His :-)  So we lived as frugally as possible during med school, though we were hardly penny-pinching and miserable.  We're still holding out for option B, where some future hospital, job, or super-generous person decides to financially contribute to our debt fund, but that's obviously no guarantee.

So here we are in residency, not quite the "end of the road" where payments must be made, but where interest is accruing rapidly and we are left with the lingering question, "What can we do NOW?"

We set aside a solitary night to review our finances and talk dirty...meaning, set a budget that was both frugal and reasonable--i.e. it needed to work.  It was a rough evening.  Nothing fun about it.  We had to stare our debt in the face with all the grit of a gladiator determined to beat the beast with a twig.  Because that's about all our budget felt like to me: instead of a semi-automatic of moulah, we were left with a puny stick with which to slay the beast.

I felt overwhelmed and a bit hopeless.  Especially from the vantage point of a determined-to-stay-at-home-mom, how was I going to contribute to this monetary black hole?

And isn't that how God usually works?  He allows us to sweat it for a little while, to see the gaping need, to taste the bitter gall of desperation, before moving in to show His might.  We need to know how grim our circumstances are in order to fully appreciate and stand in awe of His glorious power.

After making our super-slim budget, with many numbers feeling highly restrictive and Spartan, we stepped forward in faith that it was possible.  A month ago.

And what a month it has been.

We've all heard that God equips those He calls.  But what about in "small" matters, such as how much you pay for groceries, or how far you can stretch the gas in your car?  Does the God who literally spoke the universe into existence actually bother with such mundanities?

Now I know that all of us who have grown up in church will probably spiritually yawn at these questions with the glazed-over, Sunday School response of "Yes, of course, God cares about everything."  But here's my question: how often do we actually live as if He cares?

How often have I, when writing out my grocery list, actually pondered, seriously considered, that God cares what goes on it?  That He cares how I'm directing His money for that week?  That He might actually wish to have a part in my decision between chicken or beef?

And it's not really about the chicken or the beef, is it?  God's always in the business of the heart.  And because of that, I think He's in the business of frugality.  Because frugal choices are the fruit of a heart attitude that admits God's Divine ownership of all things, including our finances, and because of that ownership, it actually matters what we do with our money.  Every. Last. Penny. is a Divine Decision.

But how does this pertain to "walking in the Spirit," the crux of this blog's existence?  It has everything to do with it.  Notice the verb in that phrase is "walk," which implies a step-by-step reliance on the Spirit.  That means every step we take should be in full-dependency on the Spirit's guidance and power.  Including each step in the grocery store, clothing outlet, and restaurant.

Talk about Divine Interference.

Nevertheless, God began bringing across my path a host of easy and often ingenious ways to save money in the areas where you can; and He granted me peace to trust Him to cover the areas over which we had no control (Andrew's salary, price of gas, insurance, etc.).

I never intended to go public with this part of our journey, but now I am convinced that there will be no greater motivator for me to stick to our plan than to have other eyes over my shoulder...and wallet.  So each Friday, I'm going to post a new "experiment in frugality" as a sort of outlet for me and as a way to hear from each of you, as I know there are scores of you out there phenomenally gifted in this area.  And quite frankly, I want your wisdom.

I absolutely guarantee you that nothing you read on my Friday posts will be new or groundbreaking to you.  I don't think I've come across much in my recent research into saving money that has been either of those things.  It's putting it into practice that's hard.  And that's what we've been challenging ourselves to actually do, in the Spirit's power and leading: begin living what we know is best.

Since this is my first Friday post on this topic, the next several posts will feature some of the frugal finds I've come across lately, as well as the some of the more helpful hints to saving money that we've discovered just this past month.

It is my prayer that in posting these things your, and my own, heart will be strengthened in the knowledge that God is in the little things, that He really does care to perform miracles that involve not only parting seas and opening prison gates but also the price of bread and milk and the little "splurges" that make life colorful.

It is my prayer that these Friday posts will point to Him in a new and refreshing way, like that sense of surprise when you find a friend in an unexpected place.  Because that's how this past month has been for me.  Full of the goosebumps and gasps of, "You're here, too?"

Lo, I am with you always.